


The Sunlight of His Eyes

by JasmineTeaLatte



Series: Gifts the Moonlight Gave Us [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Angst and Feels, Episode: s03e20 Sozin's Comet part 3 Into the Inferno, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Sex, Non-Graphic Violence, The Last Agni Kai (Avatar)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:54:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27000781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JasmineTeaLatte/pseuds/JasmineTeaLatte
Summary: He was fire; she was water. They were opposites who should not mix, yet they blended together seamlessly all the same.She loved the gold of his eyes, as brilliant as a sunrise, but her favorite color would always be blue, like her element. Blue was beautiful, blue was peaceful, blue was comforting, blue was home.Which made it all the crueler, somehow, that a particular shade of blue wielded by the Fire Princess instantly filled Katara with crippling terror.Sequel to "Moonlight In Her Hands"
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Gifts the Moonlight Gave Us [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1971925
Comments: 8
Kudos: 190





	The Sunlight of His Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> FYI, this is NOT the follow-up fic that deals with the aftermath and fallout from the plot twist at the end of "Moonlight In Her Hands." It is, however, a quick little one-shot that bridges the two together. 
> 
> It's been a busy week, and I've been plotting the next part out but haven't had a chance to write it yet. This was meant to be the opening chapter of that fic, but I chose to go ahead and post it.
> 
> Enjoy!

_I defy the stars; I defy Heaven and Hell._  
_The laws of the universe say that the man I love is lost to me._  
_I say: **Watch me save him.** _  
_He saved me first, you know._

\- C.K. 

([Quote taken from this post, which also served as insp. for this fic](https://aclashofqueens.tumblr.com/post/627068775145078784/he-saved-me-first-you-know-ck-insp))

* * *

Ever since she was a little girl, Katara had always loved the color blue.

She adored the sapphire hue of the deepest oceans, the vastness of the open skies, and the cerulean clothing she wore proudly that signified her as a member of the Southern Water Tribe.

All her life, she had been surrounded by shades of cobalt and gray and navy, at least until that fateful day she and her brother found the Avatar within an iceberg, when she discovered yellows and oranges as well.

Then she and Sokka left the only home they’d ever known and ventured out into the world, with Aang eventually introducing them both to an entire rainbow of colors.

She had seen crimson countless times before, though, whether it was blood in the snow or the armor worn by Fire Nation soldiers who ravaged her village and slaughtered her mother.

Katara never thought she would find enjoyment in the color, that is until their group went into hiding in the Fire Nation. Oddly enough, she actually grew to appreciate and even like certain shades of red while staying in the last place she ever thought she’d venture to. 

That had been a surprise.

Then she discovered that she liked the color gold, too - more specifically, the gleam in _his_ eyes as they crinkled up in happiness whenever he gazed upon her.

His eyes, once harsh and scathing and cold despite their warm color, now reminded her of a campfire’s flames crackling into an evening sky or perhaps even the sun itself as it beamed down upon the bluest seas.

He was fire; she was water. He was crimson and gold, and his colors contrasted sharply against her azure and silver. They were opposites who should not mix, yet they blended together seamlessly all the same.

That was even more surprising.

It had been gradual, but she now felt safe, happy, and even _alive_ whenever his eyes met hers.

Those eyes saw her for exactly who she was, all of the selfishness and stubbornness and every single one of her darkest qualities, and he somehow loved her all the more for it. 

Then one day, Katara realized that she cared about their owner, too, and that perhaps was most surprising of all.

But her favorite color would always be blue, the color of her element.

Blue was beautiful, blue was peaceful, blue was comforting, blue was home.

Which made it all the crueler, somehow, that a particular shade of blue wielded by the Fire Princess instantly filled Katara with crippling terror.

~*~*~

Perhaps it was because the lightning reminded her of Aang’s death in Ba Sing Se.

Her friend had risen above them all in sheer magnificence as he glowed blue, only to come crashing down thanks to a well-placed shot in the back, and the lightning was the same color as his tattoos.

Even Zuko had seemed stunned and almost horrified when it happened, she vaguely recalled. But she’d had no time to dwell on this surprising show of humanity from the traitor who eventually earned her forgiveness, her affections, and maybe even her heart.

She had called all of the water within the cavern to her, sweeping them all away as she caught Aang just in time before he hit the ground.

Katara still had nightmares sometimes of that moment, how utterly helpless she had been to stop Azula’s attack, and of reviving him after they escaped from the city with little more than their lives, but just barely.

In her dreams, Katara always saw Azula’s cold-blooded smirk of triumph as the Avatar fell from his zenith, utterly defeated and almost snuffed out entirely by the princess’ hand.

For weeks immediately afterwards Katara even dreamed that she wasn’t able to get the two of them out of there in time, or that she couldn't resurrect Aang despite all of her efforts. She would lurch awake those nights in a cold sweat, choking back a scream as tears flowed down her face.

Sometimes her companions would be woken up by her nightmares as well, but gradually she learned how to suppress her cries into near silence so as not to disturb anyone else.

Eventually, the dreams all but faded away, although the fear still lurked in the corners of her mind. What if someone else she cared about was hit and she couldn’t save them? What if she wasn’t quick or strong enough?

Learning that there was a method to redirect lightning had been a great source of comfort to her, especially knowing it was inspired by waterbending. At least Aang now had a means to defend himself against Fire Lord Ozai, thanks to Zuko, even if neither of them could bend it themselves.

She had seen lightning since Ba Sing Se, but always from a distance, like the times it crackled in the sky during a thunderstorm. 

Not up close, like the splintered blue flames that hurtled towards her now.

~*~*~

On any given day Azula’s fire could easily turn lethal if she so chose to make it, but as the princess was fortified by the power of Sozin’s Comet, Katara knew her death was all but imminent.

It was just a matter of moments, now. She could practically count the number of breaths she had left.

When she saw the princess conjure up bolts of lightning, Katara found herself immediately paralyzed by fear, like prey that had been stung by a venomous snake.

She had always prided herself on her fight-or-flight instincts, but this was her one weakness, and of course Azula would exploit it.

Somewhere in her mind she knew she should _run_ , but it was too late. The venom had already been injected; now she could only watch, frozen, as the vicious serpent waited in anticipation for it to fully take hold before it devoured her.

At least Zuko would have an opening, she thought grimly as her heart pounded furiously in her chest for perhaps the last time.

Katara would have preferred to survive the war, live a long life of happiness afterwards, maybe even try for a second chance with the man she’d grown to care for, if he’d take her back.

Only now in the final moments of her life did she fully understand the magnitude of her feelings towards him. Against all odds, despite their bitter history, and everything logical that said they should not be together... she loved him.

She had been so scared to accept or admit it, and for what? He loved her too - he'd even said as much. Mere seconds remained before her inevitable death, and she finally realized that she loved him in return.

And now he would never know. Fate was cruel today, it seemed.

If she had to die, she would rather it be for a worthy cause, not as a casualty in a battle she had played no part in. If nothing else, her death would be a distraction that Zuko could use to his advantage and win the Agni Kai against his sister, securing the throne.

Yet it wasn’t until she saw him racing towards her, yelling out in horror, that she realized how badly she had been mistaken earlier. Azula wasn’t exploiting her weakness, after all – how could she have known that was what Katara feared above all else? Many people were scared of lightning.

Instead, the princess had found the one crack in her brother’s armor, the one vulnerability that could be exploited and cause him to slip up just enough to hurt him…

 _Her_. 

Katara didn’t even have time to gasp before Zuko leapt into the air, just in time to intercept the lightning meant for her.

Then her heart stopped as he caught it, became engulfed by the blue flames, and burned alive from the inside out.

The rest of the world seemed to shrink away, and she couldn’t even breathe until he finally fell, releasing the lightning skywards before crashing to the tiles below with a sickening thud.

By the time Katara could move again, it was too late.

All she could do was scream out his name.

~*~*~ 

“No, no, no, please no,” she choked out as she worked, her hands glowing blue as they frantically tried to heal his heart as quickly as she could.

If only she had gotten to him sooner, if only she hadn’t been within range of Azula’s attack in the first place, he would have never been forced to sacrifice himself.

Katara had already broken his heart once before when she invited him into her bed only a few nights ago. He had bared his soul to her and her alone, all but declaring his love for her in the process, and she had rejected his affections the very next morning.

All because she was afraid of what the future held or what the others might think. None of that mattered anymore, now that she realized she was about to lose him forever.

Once again, it was all her fault that Zuko got hurt, and this time he would most likely die for her sake. How could she have been so _selfish_ and so _stupid_ yet again? 

She had no time for self-loathing, though, not if she was going to save him, which was seeming more unlikely as the minutes passed. His heartbeat was still there, but it was faint and irregular, thudding along at a dangerously slow crawl.

His facial features were relaxed and his body had stopped spasming, as if he were simply waiting for death to claim him. It was just a matter of time, but Katara refused to accept the inevitable.

She would defy any deities, any spirits, anyone who attempted to take him away from her.

Let them come; let them all come.

She would challenge each and every one of them with bared teeth, no matter how easily they overpowered and crushed her in the end.

Let them try to stop her, and she would make certain they all suffered until her last breath.

She was not going down without a fight. 

Let heaven, hell, and the whole world try to tear them apart. She would die before she gave Zuko up. 

Tears flooded her eyes as she continued healing him, eventually blinding her, but she refused to move her hands from his wounds even for a moment to wipe them away.

~*~*~

Suddenly, she had an epiphany. With her left hand she continued healing the damaged tissues deep beneath the skin; with her right, she reached out until she could sense his blood.

Katara closed her eyes – she couldn’t see much through her tears, anyways – as she willed the blood to flow through his veins once more. Her fingers splayed out against his flesh directly above his weakened heart, and she gave a push, both with her hand and through bloodbending.

It didn’t work.

She wanted to scream in frustration, tear her hair out, lash out at any unfortunate soul who happened to be nearby, but she had no time. Instead, she gritted her teeth and tried it again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

Her anger quickly gave way to desperate prayers to any spirits or higher powers who would listen, even though she had raged against them all just moments ago.

 _Please let me save him. Please don’t take him away from me, not after I finally understand just how much I love him_...

Katara knew all too well that fate could be cruel sometimes, but surely it was not this sadistic.

 _Please_.

She tried over, and over, and over.

Nothing.

She would give her own life in exchange for Zuko’s if she had to at this point.

Her stomach felt like it turned over, and she swallowed bile; whether it was from exertion or fear, she wasn't quite sure.

She would do anything to bring him back, anything at all – 

_...tha-thump..._

_...tha-thump..._

_...tha-thump..._

There it was. Her body shook as she sobbed anew in relief.

His heart pounded slowly and sluggishly a few times before it gradually resumed a steady rhythm on its own.

Only then did she finally wipe her eyes with the heel of her palm and noticed that her tears were flowing down towards her hands, absorbing into the glowing blue waters she healed him with.

Just like a phoenix heals with its tears, she thought somewhere in the back of her mind, but she had no time to dwell on that pretty visual.

He wasn't completely saved just yet.

~*~*~

An eternity passed before he stirred and let out a groan of pain.

Finally his lashes fluttered open, just enough so she could see the sunlight of his eyes through the slivers, and she choked back a sob of relief. His gaze was unfocused at first but eventually settled on her.

Those eyes, oh, those eyes were as luminous as the sunrise after a long, dark night.

They seemed to pierce her very soul as they looked up at her, and she saw they were full of love.

His eyes were somehow even more radiant than the sun itself as they shone upon her, and in that moment, Katara had never loved the sight of gold more.

He started to speak, but it came out as a series of harsh, grating coughs instead.

“Shh, it’s okay, it’s okay,” she whispered soothingly, “I’ve got you, Zuko.”

The corners of his lips turned up slightly, as if it took too much effort to smile. 

“Thank you, Katara,” he eventually rasped out.

Fresh tears flooded her eyes at how _weak_ his voice sounded, but she still had no time to wipe them away.

“I think I’m the one who should be thanking you,” she said, her own voice shaky.

His tired eyes seemed to scan over her as if he were searching for something.

“Are you hurt?” he whispered as she bended the tears away from her face with a quick motion of her fingers.

She had saved him from death, against all odds, and she couldn’t bear to look away from him for longer than she had to.

“No,” she murmured, shaking her head. “I was just so _scared_ , Zuko, so scared that I lost you. I almost did, I...”

And she couldn’t finish that sentence.

Even though he had to be in complete agony, he gave her a smile and a reassuring wink.

“Takes more than that to get rid of me,” he grated out, and his voice sounded a bit stronger.

Not by much, but just a little. That was enough for her right now.

~*~*~

At last he was able to sit up, albeit with support from her.

Once he regained his balance enough to stay upright on his own, she finally removed her hands from his chest...

... and she nearly knocked him over as her arms immediately circled around him, her fingers tangled up in his thick hair.

She buried her face against his neck, sobbing uncontrollably.

From somewhere overhead she heard him whisper reassurances as he wrapped her up in his arms, his hands trembling as they palmed up and down her back.

They were colder than usual, but they were still warmer than his skin had been several minutes ago.

He rested his chin in the crook of her neck and let out a ragged breath.

“It’s okay, Katara, it’s okay, I’ve got you,” he mumbled, sounding absolutely exhausted. 

She lifted her head and shook it, and she planted a quick, soft kiss on his scarred cheek, settling her chin in the crook of his neck.

“Actually, I’ve got _you_ , Zuko,” she choked out, carefully squeezing him tighter in her arms, “and I’m never letting go of you again.”

His body stilled for a moment, and at first she was afraid he’d lost consciousness once more and was about to fall over.

Instead, she heard him let out a weak sigh of relief as he pulled her even closer to him, delicately kissing her cheek before resting his own against hers.

“That makes two of us,” he rasped.

Katara only gave his body a gentle squeeze in reply, as she didn’t trust herself to speak again just yet.

~*~*~

He was fire; she was water. He was crimson and gold; she was blue and silver.

They were opposites who should not mix, yet they blended together seamlessly all the same...

...and she would defy the stars, heaven, and even hell if they ever attempted to tear them apart from each other again.


End file.
